Low voltage outlet with a conduit clamping device



INVENTOR JAMES EMA JO/PS J. P- MAJORS Filed Aug. 2'7, 1965 lpllllllliiiill IIIII LOW VOLTAGE OUTLET WITH A CONDUIT CLAMPING DEVICE 7 ATTORNEY Dec. 28, 1965 United States Patent 3,226,469 LOW VOLTAGE OUTLET WITH A CONDUIT CLAMPING DEVICE James P. Majors, 12304 Dalewood Drive, Silver Spring, Md. Filed Aug. 27, 1963, Ser. No. 304,808 1 Claim. (Cl. 174-65) This invention relates to a novel outlet for low voltage electric wiring, and has for its primary object to provide an outlet for telephone wiring.

It is now conventional procedure to install low voltage outlets in building structures being erected for subsequent use for outlets for telephone wiring or for other purposes where low voltage wiring is required. Such outlets as are now conventionally utilized normally include a hollow box or receptacle of much larger size than is needed for the purpose and which has an opening in the front thereof and a top opening disposed at a right angle to the front opening and frequently laterally offset therefrom. Considerable difficuilty is encountered in pulling or feeding low voltage wiring through such receptacles into and through a conduit leading from the top of the receptacle, frequently resulting in the insulating covering being partially removed from the wires intended to be encased thereby. Additionally, such receptacles where not ini tially utilized as low voltage outlets may be employed as conventional electrical outlets, rendering them unavailable for use for their initially intended purpose.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a low voltage outlet including a receptacle which may be oonventiently mounted in a wall and which is so constructed that low voltage wiring may be drawn or fed therethrough without risk of damaging the electrical insulation.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a low voltage outlet including a receptacle having means for guiding the wiring being pulled or fed therethrough.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the low voltage outlet;

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevational view thereof, showing an additional mounting adaptation;

FIGURE 3 is 'a substantially central longitudinal sectional view taken approximately along a plane as indicated by the line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the outlet, looking from left to right of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 5 is a transverse sectional view through the outlet, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 55 of FIGURE 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the low voltage outlet in its entirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 7 and includes a receptacle, designated generally 8.

The receptacle 8 preferably assumes the form of an elongated block having end faces 9 and 10, a rear face 11, a front face 12 and corresponding side faces 13 and 14. The receptacle 8 may be formed of any suitable material, either an electrical insulating material or an electrical conducting material, and may be composed of a lightweight metal, a plastic material or the like. The block 15 fromwhich the receptacle 8 is formed is recessed to provide a passage 16 having a restricted end 17 which opens through the end face 9 and an enlarged end 18 which opens through the front face 12. The passage 16 is of substantially uniform width, as measured in a direction extending between the side faces 13 and 14, from endto-end. of said passage. The flare of the passage 16 is afforded by an inner surface 19 thereof which extends at an incline from the part of the open passage end 17, disposed adjacent the rear wall 11 to an end of the open front 18 of said passage which is disposed adjacent the end face 10, and said inner passage surface 19, which faces generally toward the passage opening 18, is preferably slightly concave in a direction longitudinally thereof, as seen in FIGURE 3.

As seen in FIGURE 2, the rear face 11 has a longidudinally extending groove 20 extending from end-toend thereof and which intersects a transverse groove 21 of the face 11.

A bar 22 has a portion disposed in a part of the longitudinal groove 20 and which is secured to the block 15 by screw fastenings 23 and 24 which engage threaded recesses 25 and 26, respectively, of the block 15, which recesses open into the groove 20. An end 27 of the bar 22 extends from an end of the groove 20 outwardly from the end face 9 and is disposed against an end portion of a conduit or pipe 28 and longitudinally thereof. A conventional split clamp 29 engages around the bar end 27 and around a portion of the conduit end 28and is tightened for clamping said conduit end to the bar portion 27. The bar 22 thus forms a post or standard by which the receptacle 8 is connected to the conduit portion 28 and so that the open end 30 of said conduit portion opens into the passage end 17, as seen in FIGURE 3.

The block 15 has a plurality of threaded sockets 31 which open outwardly through each side face 13 and 14. Either of said side faces 13 or 14 may be disposed flush against a stud of a building wall, not shown, and the threaded sockets thereof may receive screw fastenings, not shown, for securing the receptacle 8 immovably to the stud.

Assuming that the receptacle 8 is mounted in an upright position as seen in FIGURE 1 with the passage end 18 opening outwardly of a wall in which said receptacle is disposed, the conduit end 28 can be secured to the receptacle, as previously described, and a portion of said conduit, not shown, can extend upwardly to a conven tional telephone closet. Wires 32 encased in a cover 33 of electrical insulating material, as seen in FIGURE 3, can be passed inwardly through a central opening 34 of a conventional cover plate 35. The wires 32 may be attached to a steel tape or other suitable means, not shown, which is passed through the conduit 28 and receptacle passage 16 from adjacent the closet, and drawn back for pulling the wires 32 through the passage 16 and conduit portion 28. The insulation encased wires will initially strike the concave sloping surface 19 and be deflected thereby into and longitudinally through the bore of the conduit portion 28 in a manner such that the insulating covering 33 will not be scrape-d against the edge of the conduit portion 28 defining its open end 30, to thus avoid damage to the covering 33. In addition, since the plate 35 is not attached to the receptacle 8 when the wiring 32 is being pulled, as previously described, the passage 16 will not produce a sharp bend in the wiring 32 as it passes through the receptacle 8 and, accordingly, pulling of the wire through the conduit 28 will not be obstructed due to its passage through the receptacle. It will also be noted, as seen in FIGURE 3, that a portion of the bore of the conduit portion 28 is disposed substantially flush with the upper end of the surface 19 which terminates at the passage opening 17, so that the wiring 32 can be most effectively guided in its travel through the bore end 30.

The block 15 is provided with threaded sockets 36 which open through the front face 12, beyond the ends of the passage opening 18, for receiving screw fastenings 37 for mounting the cover plate 35 on the receptacle 8 after pulling of the wiring 32 through the outlet 7 has been accomplished.

It will also be noted that the depth of the passage 16 as measured between its inclined inner surface 19 and the front face 12 is quite limited from midway of the ends of the receptacle to its end face 10, so that the receptacle 8 could not beutilized for holding a conventional electric socket and may be employed only as a wiring outlet.

Under certain conditions it may be easier to install the receptacle 8 with its rear face 11 against a supporting member. When such an insulation is utilized, adjacent ends of bracket arms 38 may be secured in the ends of the cross groove 21 by screw fastenings 39 which engage threaded sockets 40. Other screw fastenings, not shown, may engage through openings 41 of the outer end portions of the arms 38 for anchoring said arms to a supporting member. If desired, one of the arms 38 or an additional arm 38 may be secured in the other end of the longitudinal groove 20 by a fastening 39 engaging a threaded socket 42.

While the outlet 7 has been described for use as an outlet for telephone wiring, it will be understood that it may be utilized as an outlet for other low voltage wiring. It will also be apparent that the receptacle 8 could be installed inverted relative to its position of FIGURE 1 or with its longitudinal axis in a horizontal position, depending upon the direction that the wiring from said outlet is to run.

Various other modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A low voltage outlet comprising an elongated block having a front face and an end face disposed at substantially a right angle to said front face, said block forming a receptacle and having a passage formed therein, said passage having a first end opening through said end face and a second end opening through said front face, said passage including an inner surface extending between remote portions of said passage ends and disposed at an incline relative to said end face and said front face, a wire oonduit, and means supported by said receptacle and detachably secured to said conduit for positioning an end of the conduit in registration with said first passage end and disposed to open toward said inclined passage surface and with a part of the conduit bore forming a smooth continuation of an end of said inclined surface whereby wiring entering said passage through said second passage end will be deflected by said inclined surface toward said first passage end and into said conduit end in registration therewith, said means comprising a post detachably secured to said receptacle and having a part extending beyond said end face, and a clamp detachably embracing said part and a portion of the conduit, said block including a rear face having a longitudinally extending groove in which a portion of said post is received.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 532,945 1/1895 Browning 285-61 657,732 9/1900 Francis 285-420 X 1,918,725 7/ 1933 Wagenhorst 174-38 2,515,724 7/ 1950 McCrasky 174-65 X 2,681,164 6/ 1954 Kalfen 220-18 2,686,216 8/1954 Appleton et a1 174-81 FOREIGN PATENTS 195,110 1/1938 Germany. 914,268 6/ 1954 Germany.

6,460 3/ 1896 Great Britain. 252,107 2/1927 Italy.

69,91 7 5/ 1929 Sweden.

JOHN F. BURNS, Primary Examiner.

DARRELL L. CLAY, Examiner. 

